Ignition control mechanism



March 6, 1945. A, v ALVINO 2,371,016

IGNITION coNTRoL MEGHANISM Filed June 15, 1942 l INVENTOR. Hip/)Mge I? Hlvno; BY

mick/ver. D

Patented Mar. 6, 1.945

IGNITION CONTROL MECHANISM Alphonse V. Alvino, Newark, N. J., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, a corporation of Delaware Application June l5, 1942, Serial No. 447,131

6 Claims. I Cl. 123-148) This invention relates to internal combustion Iengines, and particularly to the ignition of fuel in the engine cylinders, for combustion and power development therein.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel method of ignition production and control, for use in internal combustion engines.

Another object is to provide a novel. ignition system, including a novel electrical circuit, and novel electrical elements entering into the operation of said circuit.

Another object is to provide a novel ignition system, including novel structural features in the component parts, which features are believed to be patentable, per se, as well as in the combination disclosed.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from inspection of the following specification when read with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is for the purpose of illustration only, and is not designed as a-deiinition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view of the booster unit;

Fig. 3 is a view to the right of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view to the left of Fig. 2.

The most common type of aircraft engine lgnition system involves the use of a magneto electric-generator (hereinafter called a magneto) mechanically driven from the engine crank-shaft, and generating in its secondary winding, a high tension current for delivery to the engine spark-plugs by way of a rotary distributor, the latter being also driven from the engine, and usually involving a pair of rotatable, angularly spaced distributor ngers," or brushes, one

' of which is directly in circuit .with said secondary magneto winding, while the second distributor ilngerI or brush, is in a circuit leading back to a booster ignition device-either a second (starting-motor-operated) magneto or a batteryenergized induction coil--whose secondary winding feeds booster" current to said second distributor ringer (as shown at 30 in Nowosielski Patent No. 1,921,427, granted August 8, 1933), and thus constitutes a paralleLalternative source oi ignition (usually confined t0 the brief enginestarting period, when crank-shaft speed is low).

The present concept-is to substitute, for the above-described Nowosielski method of connecting the booster unit, a method of connection wherein both the booster unit and the standard, or service" magneto unit will function as complementary, rather than as alternatively operating'units, and wherein the booster unit will service as a source of additional energy for the magneto, and in such manner as to render the magneto capable' of supplying adequate ignition current under all conditions of engine speed and all conditions of aircraft operation, including both high and low altitude flying.

I accomplish these results by providing a series circuit type of connection from the secondary winding Il (Fig. 1) of the booster" I2 to the primary winding I3 of the magneto; the primary winding I0 of the booster being energized from battery, upon closure of manually operable switch Il. As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, there isa vibrator type of contact mechanism at the right-hand end of the booster, including resilient arm I8 carrying a contact button I9; the resiliency of arm I8 being such as to hold button I9 in contact with button 20 until suilicent curvrent flows from source' I6 through windings I0 contact 28, as in standard practice, and condenser 29 functions as in standard magneto circuits; except that its capacity will now be greater, due to the added energy derived`from the action of booster I2. Distributor 3i will be as in standard practice, except that a single rotating brush 32 will now suilce, where two have been used heretofore. Each distributor point will connect with a different spark-plug, there being only one spark-plug'shown (at 34), to indicate the manner of connection of all. A hand-switch 35 will serve to ground the magneto circuit (as is standard practice) until it is desired to start the engine, at which time switch 35 will be .moved to the on position, A,

In order to prevent a drain-back (to ground) of current generated in windings I3, I4, during such times as contact parts 21, 28 are closed (and switch I1 is open), I interpose, between II and I3, a switch 4I, 42 whose contact 42 is biased to the open position by an adjustable spring 43, but is movable to the closed position each time coils I0, il are energized and said contact 42 will remain in closed position until switch I1 is manually opened to discontinue energization f coils lli, il. In other words, the position of contacts 42, 40 is determined by the position of switch I1, both as to closing and opening. Thus a feedback, from i3 to ground 50, is rendered impossible.

The use of the double winding |0--II prevents Y the ow of current from the battery I8 through the main magneto in case of sticking of the contacts i9 and 20.

' comprising an induction coil having low-tension magneto having primary and secondary windings in circuit with saidstorage battery and sparkplugs, in such manner that the magneto may receive energy from said storage battery upon closure of said circuit, engine-driven meansl for petion engine spark-plug, and a high-tension cir-- cuit leading thereto and operable to render said spark plug effective duringthe entire period of operation of said engine, of means for boosting the intensity of the current in' said circuit, said means comprising an induction coil having lowtension primary andlow-tension secondary'circuits, means for coupling said low-tension secondary with the high-tension circuit leading to said spark-plug, and means for preventing the grounding of said high tension circuit when said v boosting means is cut out. l

3. The combination, with an internal combustion. engine spark-plug, and a high-tension circuit leading thereto, of means for boosting the intensity of the current in said circuit, said means primary and low-tension secondary circuits, and means for coupling said low-tension secondary with the high-tension circuit leading to said spark-plug, said last-named means including a magneto having its primary winding in connection with said induction coil secondary circuit, a switch. for cutting out said boosting means,\and a second'switch between said low tension secondary and said magneto primary and automatically operable coincident with operation of the rst said switch.

4. The combination, with an internal combustion engine spark-plug, and a high-tension circuit leading thereto, of means for boosting the intensity of the current in said circuit, said means comprising an induction coil having low-tension primary and low-tension secondary circuits, means forl coupling said low-tension secondary with thehigh-tension circuit leading to said spark-plug, a magneto having an engine-driven circuit-breakerand contacts operated thereby,

said contacts being interposed between said magneto and said high-tension spark-plug circuit, and a switch included in said coupling means and automatically operable upon cutting out of said booster means to break the circuit between said high tension circuit and said low tension secondary.

5. The combination, with an internal combustion engine spark-plug, and a high-tension circuit leading thereto, of means forboosting the intensity of the current in said circuit, said means comprising an induction coil having low-tension primary and low-tension secondary circuits, means for coupling said 1owtension secondary with the high-tension circuit leading to said spark-plug. a magneto having its primary winding in series connection with said induction coil secondary circuit, and an engine-driven circuit-breaker for'periodically interrupting the current delivered from said magneto to said high tensionncircuit.

6. In combination, an internal combustion engine including a spark plus, a magneto operatively driven by said engine and connected to said spark plug to supply electrical current-l thereto, a battery, means for delivering current from said battery to said magneto to supplement the current generated thereby, and means for cutting out the last said means and at the same time breaking the circuit from said battery to said magneto to prevent grounding of said magneto.

ALPHONSE V. ALVINO. 

